Vision: Education Sciences Institute

1
Vision Education Sciences Institute 21st Century
Instruction for Science Technology Engineering
and Math (STEM)
Jul 08
2
ESI - Heilmeyer Catechism Analysis 15M/yr.,
10-year
3
Problem

• Problem Insufficient technical personnel are
  now trained STEM jobs are moving overseas
  despite national focus and sizable funding, there
  is little improvement
• STEM Instruction falling short
• 40,000 short in CA
• Too few now graduating
• Existing STEM teachers need help
• Loose Many Potential STEM personnel in 4th grade
  Studies show peers family force otherwise
  capable students to abandon STEM
• Societal Values do not Support STEM instruction
  Surveys find that technology education held in
  low esteem by many groups
• K-6 Teachers Rarely are math-facile Advanced
  math ability shown to positively correlate with
  basic math instruction
• CAE useful, but not widely adopted or used
  Research showing good results countervailed by
  very limited acceptance in class
• STEM instruction failures highly correlate with
  drop outs Failure to complete algebra is one
  of the best predictors of High School drop out

4
Current Approach
5
New Idea

• New Idea Mobilize skills and personnel that
  produced Internet to similarly enable education
• Bring Order out of Chaos Create Educational
  Sciences Institute to
• Achieve consensus as to requirements and goals
• Establish, socialize, and publish standards
• Develop tools and utilities
• Architect model infrastructure
• Prototype innovative approaches using proven
  technologies (A/I, Natural Lang., )
• Make Optimal Use of Internet Experience
  Standards, protocols, RFCs, test-beds,
  prototypes all important USC contributions
• Provide Continuity Teachers and CAE developers
  decry lack of reliable, durable source of info
• Provide Forum for Community Resolution of
  Problems Can establish and maintain series of
  conferences and web sites for discussion
• Develop Central Computing Prototype to Replace
  Piecemeal Work Individual classroom CAE
  burdens teachers need central Eduplex to bear
  load

6
Impact

• Impact Appealing techno-savvy personnel
  motivate, educate and deliver STEM
• Interactive CAE with MPEGed Tutors For STEM
  instruction, augment classroom teachers with the
  most captivating
• Individually Optimize Learning for each Student
  A/I interactive programs will adjust to meet
  needs of individual or societal group
• Allow Student Achievement in Controlled Space
  Preclude minorities and girls from being derided
  for public display of learning
• Monitor Performance and Evaluate Real Time
  Performance-based evaluation is beyond teachers
  time constraints CAE can do
• Supplant, then Replace, the Hated Standardized
  Test Show that computer evaluation is at least
  as good as tests, obviating them
• Relieve Teachers as Necessary Use for
  tutoring, small groups or entire class when
  teacher tired, sick or ill-suited
• Automatically Monitor and Record Progress and
  Achievement Dramatically reduce teacher admin
  time by automatically recording work

7
Program Organization

• Program Organization Create an institute, a la
  ISI and JPL, to provide long-term services to
  community
• Establish a Putatively Permanent Institute
  Assuage fears of the current temporariness of
  CAE efforts (CAETI 100M 3 years then vanished)
• Multi-Institution/Multi-Disciplinary USC
  Direction, research and management U of H
  H/W, test-beds, and K-12 schools

10M
8
Intermediate Results

• Intermediate Results ESI would develop, vet
  and promulgate goals, standards, and prototypes
• Conference Reports ESI would immediately
  organize major conferences on germane issues
• Standards Needs, Goals and Consensus Survey
  of existing efforts, past failures and future
  needs, conducted reported
• Inventory of Current State of the Art Rigorous
  review of current products, standards skill
  sets
• Promulgation of Assets and Capabilities All
  current programs of value would be encouraged to
  use ESI as focus
• Prototyping of Technologies and Architectures
  Test-beds, infrastructure architectures,
  evaluation approaches, , open to all
• Implementation of Novel Approaches Using the
  above, implement novel uses of existing or
  nascent technologies
• Rigorous Independent Analysis of Efficacy
  Objective analysis of the work of others and ISI
  to ensure utility

9
Progress Measurement

• Progress Measurement Early acceptance of
  standards and use of tools Final productive use
  by teachers
• Quantify Participation Measure and report on
  quantity and quality of community participation
  in ESI
• Enumerate Standards Identified and Developed
  Catalog and inventory new standards developed
  and adopted
• Describe Tools Developed and Report on Usage
  Characterize tools and their utility to the
  community and quantify usage by others
• New Conceptual Approaches Developed Describe
  and explicate new approaches via peer-reviewed
  article media
• Audit Use in Classroom Report on number of
  installations in place, impact and acceptance by
  teachers
• Survey Users Conduct surveys of teachers,
  students, administrators, developers and others
• Evaluate Impact on Scores and Numbers of Students
  Opting for STEM Via surveys and records
  checks, evaluate delta in test scores and STEM
  students

10
Costs

• Costs Longevity (must be gt10 yrs) estimate 80
  FTE tech personnel H/W _at_ 15M/yr
• 10 Year Term View Institute as permanent 10
  year seen as necessary to assure continuity
• To Have Viable Research 40 researchers, 20
  field test pers. and 20 Ops pers., plus admin
  pers. cluster
• Ideal Size ? Size of Current ISI (450) Need
  commitment for 80, but must grow to several
  hundred to have impact
• Personnel Costs Some Senior personnel part
  time, expensive researchers, trusted ops pers.
• Cluster O(1M)/yr to stand-up and upgrade
  cluster
• Travel Significant travel and admin cost due
  to meetings and field testing.
• Escalation Cost escalation over ten years
  should closely approximate inflation rates